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Blind people at risk due to ‘inaccessible’ health information from NHS, charity warns

Blind people are being put “at risk” when the NHS provides them with “inaccessible” information about their health, a charity has warned.

People with sight loss have missed appointments, cancer screenings or been unable to use home test kits because of a lack of clear instructions in an accessible format, according to the sight loss charity RNIB.

It warned that denying people access to their information can also “cause embarrassment and loss of dignity”.

Linda Hansen, from Bradford, who is severely sight-impaired, said that she needed to get her daughter to read her the results of a medical exam which was sent to her in print format.

Ms Hansen, 62, said: “I can get my bank statement or a gas bill in accessible formats, but yet I still receive health information that I can’t read. What could be more personal than your health status?”

A new RNIB campaign – My Info My Way – has been launched calling for all blind and partially sighted people to be given accessible information.

The charity said that a failure to provide information in an accessible format is putting blind and partially sighted people “at risk”.

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Source: The Independent, 16 May 2023

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Bleach does not tackle fatal hospital superbug, UK researchers find

Liquid bleach does not kill off a hospital superbug that can cause fatal infections, researchers have found.

Clostridium difficile, also known as C diff, is a type of bacteria found in the human gut. While it can coexist alongside other bacteria without problem, a disruption to gut flora can allow C diff to flourish, leading to bowel problems including diarrhoea and colitis.

Severe infections can kill, with 1,910 people known to have died within 30 days of an infection in England during financial year 2021-2022.

Those at greater risk of C diff infections include people aged over 65, those who are in hospital, people with a weakened immune system and people taking antibiotics, with some individuals experiencing repeated infections.

According to government guidance, updated in 2019, chlorine-containing cleaning agents with at least 1,000 ppm available chlorine should be used as a disinfectant to tackle C diff.

But researchers say it is unlikely be sufficient, with their experiments suggesting that even at high concentrations, sodium hypochlorite – a common type of bleach – is no better than water at doing the job.

“With antimicrobial resistance increasing, people need to recognise that overuse of biocides can cause tolerance in certain microbes, and we’re seeing that definitely with chlorine and C diff,” said Dr Tina Joshi, co-author of the research, from the University of Plymouth.

While chlorine-based chemicals used to be effective at killing such bacteria, that no longer appears to be the case, she said.

“The UK doesn’t seem to have any written new gold standard for C diff disinfection. And I think that needs to change immediately,” she said.

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Source: The Guardian, 22 November 2023

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Blanket 'do not resuscitate' orders imposed on English care homes, finds CQC

Blanket orders not to resuscitate some care home residents at the start of the Covid pandemic have been identified in a report by England’s care regulator.

A report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found disturbing variations in people’s experiences of do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions during the pandemic.

Best practice is for proper discussions to be held with the person involved and/or their relatives. While examples of good practice were identified, some people were not properly involved in decisions or were unaware that such an important decision about their care had been made. Poor record-keeping, and a lack of oversight and scrutiny of the decisions being made, was identified.

The report, 'Protect, respect, connect – decisions about living and dying well during Covid-19', calls for a ministerial oversight group – working with partners in health and social care, local government and the voluntary sector – to take responsibility for delivering improvements in this area.

The report surveyed a range of individuals and organisations, including care providers and members of the public, and identified:

  • Serious concerns about breaches of some individuals’ human rights.
  • Significant increase in DNACPRs put in place in care homes at the beginning of the pandemic, from 16,876 to 26,555.
  • 119 adult social care providers felt they had been subjected to blanket DNACPR decisions since the start of the pandemic.
  • A GP sent DNACPR letters to care homes asking them to put blanket DNACPRs in place.
  • In one care home a blanket DNACPR was applied to everyone over 80 with dementia.

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Source: The Guardian. 18 March 2021

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Blame culture forcing Northern Ireland doctors to consider quitting

Doctors in Northern Ireland feel increasingly "vulnerable" to criminal proceedings in the workplace, forcing them to consider abandoning the profession, senior medic, Dr Tom Black, warns. Dr Black, chairperson of the British Medical Association Northern Ireland, says that consultants in Northern Ireland are operating in a "hostile working culture" as a result of the situation. He explains that medics are increasingly fearful of the professional repercussions if they make a medical error amid pressured case loads: "Doctors feel vulnerable to criminal and regulatory proceedings, and this creates a hostile training environment for our medical students, young doctors... This blame and sanction culture creates disrespect and mistrust. This has a price - it encourages risk avoidance behaviours in professionals, inefficient and ineffective management, increased cost for the system and deteriorating services for patients."

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Source: Belfast Telegraph, 25 June 2019

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Blackpool staff still wary of NHS whistleblowing scheme

Staff working at Blackpool hospitals raised 32 concerns with their bosses during the last three months as part of a national NHS whistle-blowing scheme.

Figures presented to the Blackpool Victoria Hospital board show 16 of the complaints related to patient safety, while 14 were in connection with incidents of bullying and harrassment. The overall figure was in line with the average for the hospital trust since the scheme was introduced nationally by the government in 2015, and is down from 37 during the previous three months.

But it was felt staff were still cautious about pointing the finger with anonymity requested in almost every case.

Terri Vaselli, Freedom to Speak Up Guardian for the Trust, said: "Within the nursing teams there are fears they will be ostracised. "It doesn't matter how much I reassure them, the fear factor is still there."

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Source: Blackpool Gazette, 8 November 2019

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Blackpool nurse and colleague jailed over drugging patients

An "evil" nurse who drugged patients on a stroke unit for an "easy shift" and a healthcare worker who conspired with her have been jailed.

Catherine Hudson, 54, was found guilty of giving unprescribed sedatives to two patients at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in 2017 and 2018.

She was also convicted of conspiring with Charlotte Wilmot, 48, to give a sedative to a third patient.

Hudson was jailed for seven years and two months. Wilmot was sentenced to three years.

Evidence during the trial highlighted the "dysfunctional" drugs regime on the stroke ward with free and easy access to controlled drugs and medication which led to "wholesale theft" by staff.

Prosecutors described it as a "culture of abuse" after police examined WhatsApp phone messages between the co-defendants and other members of staff.

The pair were investigated after a student nurse witnessed events while on a work placement on the stroke unit and told senior managers in November 2018, who called in police.

The whistleblowing nurse, who the prosecution had asked not to be named, told officers she had concerns over the use of insomnia medication Zopiclone, which can be life-threatening if given inappropriately.

She said Hudson had told her the patient had a Do Not Resuscitate Order in place "so she wouldn't be opened up if she died or... came to any harm".

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Source: BBC News, 14 December 2023

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Blackpool hospital neglect contributed to suicide of man who waited 22 hours for help, coroner rules

The death of a 27-year-old man who killed himself in a hospital toilet after waiting 22 hours to be seen by the mental health team was “contributed to by neglect”, a coroner has ruled.

Jamie Pearson was admitted to Blackpool Victoria hospital’s A&E department after taking an overdose of high-strength painkillers on 17 August 2024.

An inquest heard that Pearson should have been seen within four hours by mental health specialists but was deemed low risk and was still waiting 22 hours later when he killed himself in a toilet.

His mother, Julie Knowles, previously told the Guardian her son was “badly failed and let down” by health professionals.

Alan Wilson, the senior coroner for Blackpool and Fylde, concluded on Tuesday that Pearson’s death had been “contributed to by neglect”. He said the cumulative effect of the missed opportunities to provide mental health care “very comfortably” crossed the high threshold required for a finding of neglect.

The inquest heard that the hospital was struggling to manage patient levels at the time, with no medical bed available. This meant Pearson was left in a waiting area overnight and into the following day.

A communication breakdown meant that plans were not made for mental health specialists to see him as a priority, the coroner was told.

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Source: The Guardian, 10 September 2025

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Blackpool death: Abortion sepsis risk training inadequate

Doctors are receiving "inadequate" training about the risk of sepsis after a mother-of-five died following an abortion, a coroner has warned.

Sarah Dunn, 31, died of "natural causes contributed to by neglect" in hospital on 11 April 2020, an inquest found.

Assistant coroner for Blackpool and Fylde, Louise Rae, said Ms Dunn had been treated as a Covid patient even though the "signs of sepsis were apparent".

Her cause of death was recorded as "streptococcus sepsis following medical termination of pregnancy".

In her record of inquest, the coroner noted Ms Dunn was admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital in Lancashire on 10 April 2020. She was suffering from a streptococcus infection caused by an early medical abortion on 23 March, which had produced sepsis and toxic shock by the time she was admitted to hospital.

The coroner said "signs of sepsis were apparent" before and at the time of Ms Dunn's hospital admission but she was instead treated as a Covid-19 patient.

"Sepsis was not recognised or treated by the GP surgery, emergency department or acute medical unit and upon Sarah's arrival at hospital, the sepsis pathway was not followed," she added.

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Source: BBC News, 19 May 2022

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Black women on the nightmare of seeking healthcare in the US: ‘I have to be my own doctor’

Christina Brown was 18 years old the first time she had to correct a doctor when advocating for health.

Breast cancer runs in her family, so she had been taught early by relatives how to examine her own body – what was normal, what wasn’t and when something warranted attention. When she found a lump in her breast in September 2014, she didn’t hesitate. She went to a doctor.

At each appointment, Brown, a 30-year-old content creator in New York City, said she explained the same concern, pointed to the same spot, and was met with the same response. They told her they couldn’t feel anything. That there was no lump. That she was wrong.

“I literally had to grab their hands and show them where the lump was, and they would be surprised and then just pass me to the next doctor to do the exact same thing,” Brown said. It took four rounds of this before anyone agreed to schedule a biopsy. By then, months had passed.

That experience reshaped how Brown approached medical care: it taught her that knowing her body better than the experts is vital. Additionally, it prompted her to seek out Black doctors whenever possible because she figured a Black physician would be more likely to believe her the first time around. A 2023 survey found that Black patients who have more visits with Black healthcare providers report having more positive medical experiences.

Brown’s story is not unique. Across gynecology, primary care, and reproductive health, many Black women describe navigating medical care as a nightmare. “To be a Black woman in America is to have an adverse experience at the doctor’s office, and with her health,” Brown said. “It’s one where you are constantly feeling dismissed, misunderstood, gaslit, downplayed and straight up lied to.” Whether through relentless self-advocacy, intimate knowledge of their own bodies, or the deliberate choice to seek out Black physicians, many Black women move through medical settings strategically, as a means of survival.

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Source: The Guardian, 27 January 2026

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Black women in England suffer more serious birth complications, analysis finds

Black women are up to six times more likely to experience some of the most serious birth complications during hospital delivery across England than their white counterparts, with the figures being described as “stark” and disheartening”, according to analysis.

Black women made up 26% of women who experienced the birth complication pre-eclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension during delivery, despite making up just 5% of all deliveries across England, according to a Guardian analysis of NHS figures for 2022-23.

They were six times more likely to experience this pregnancy complication than their white counterparts, who made up 47.2% of these cases despite making up 70% of all deliveries.

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Source: Guardian, 8 April 2024

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Black women four times more likely to die in childbirth

Black women are more than four times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than white women in the UK, a review of 2017-2019 deaths shows.

The MBRRACE-UK report found women from Asian backgrounds are almost twice as likely to die as white women.

Some 495 individuals died during pregnancy or up to a year after birth, out of 2,173,810 having a child.

The charity Birthrights is concerned that overall "this bleak picture has not changed in over a decade".

University of Oxford researchers say for the vast majority of people, pregnancy remains very safe in the UK. But despite slight decreases in the maternal death rate in recent years, there have been no significant improvements to these rates since the 2010 to 2012 period.

Their current report shows heart disease, epilepsy and stroke continue to be the most common causes of death. And they say in some 37% of cases, improvements in care may have made a difference to the outcome.

Lead researcher, Prof Marian Knight, said: "Pregnant women get inequitable care for several reasons.

"Healthcare professionals often attribute their symptoms to pregnancy alone and they do not always end up getting the treatment they need because people can be incorrectly concerned about giving them medication.

"On top of that is the unconscious bias that black and Asian women can experience. It all adds up.

"We know from other studies that the disparity in death rates cannot be fully explained by socio-economic factors and other medical conditions for example. We need to look for other reasons."

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Source: BBC News, 11 November 2021

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Black people who spot cancer symptoms are taking twice as long to be diagnosed

Black and Asian people who spot cancer symptoms are taking twice as long to be diagnosed as white people, a shocking new study shows.

Research by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and Shine Cancer Support shows that people from minority ethnic backgrounds face an average of a year’s delay between first noticing symptoms and receiving a diagnosis of cancer.

These groups report more negative experiences of cancer care than white people, limited knowledge about the diseases and lack of awareness of support services, which all contribute to later diagnostic rates.

“In a year that’s revealed that the UK’s cancer survival lags behind comparable countries, I am saddened but unsurprised that people from minority ethnic groups face additional hurdles that delay their diagnosis.” said Ceinwen Giles, co-ceo of Shine Cancer Support.

“We know that catching cancer earlier saves lives, yet with year long waits for some people, collaborative efforts between health leadership, advocacy groups and the pharmaceutical industry are required.”

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Source: The Independent, 9 April 2024

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Black people in England twice as likely to suffer stroke as white counterparts

People from black backgrounds in England are twice as likely to experience strokes as their white counterparts, while also being less likely to receive timely care, according to the largest study of its kind.

The study, conducted by researchers at King’s College London and presented at the European Stroke Organisation conference, analysed 30 years of stroke incidents from the South London Stroke Register, one of the longest-running population-based stroke registers in the world.

Within a population of 333,000 people, according to the analysis, 7,726 strokes occurred. And while stroke incidence fell by 34% between 1995-99 and 2010-14, the rate rose again by 13% between 2020 and 2024.

The analysis also found that during this period where stroke incidents were on the rise, people from black African and Caribbean backgrounds were more than twice as likely to experience a stroke compared with their white counterparts.

More specifically, stroke incidence was 131% higher in black African and 100% higher in black Caribbean populations in comparison with their white counterparts.

People from black backgrounds are up to 47% more likely to have high blood pressure, and are also up to twice as likely to have diabetes than their white counterparts, even after adjusting for other risk factors including socioeconomic background.

Dr Camila Pantoja-Ruiz, of King’s College London, the lead author of the study, said: “This trend may partly reflect the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which reduced access to primary care, blood pressure monitoring and prescribing, particularly affecting black and deprived communities.”

She added: “These patterns of increased stroke risk in these communities may also be influenced by broader factors, including racism, unconscious bias and socioeconomic circumstances, which can impact access to and quality of care."

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Source: The Guardian, 6 May 2026

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Black people have highest rate of STIs in Britain. Is enough being done to change that?

Black people have the highest rate of sexually transmitted infections in Britain and officials are not doing enough to address the issue, sexual health experts have warned.

Black Britons have “disproportionally high rates” of various STI diagnoses compared to white Britons, with those of Black Caribbean heritage specifically having the highest rates for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes and trichomoniasis.

Experts have told The Independent that healthcare providers are failing to address these disparities in STIs. They have called for more research to fully understand the complicated reasons why STIs are higher among people of Black ethnicity.

Research conducted through the Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) found that there were no clinical or behavioural factors explaining the disproportionately high rates of STI diagnoses among Black people.

But higher rates of poverty and poor health literacy among marginalised communities are all linked with higher STI rates, according to a 2016 study, which found that behavioural and contextual factors are likely to be contributing.

Moreover, experiences of racism among Black people can fuel a reluctance to engage with sexual health services and test frequently, according to HIV activist Susan Cole-Haley.

She told The Independent: “I very much believe that it is linked to socioeconomic disadvantage and racism, often in healthcare settings, which can be a significant barrier for people accessing testing, for instance, and feeling comfortable engaging with care.”

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Source: The Independent, 19 February 2023

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Black people four times more likely to die from coronavirus than white people, ONS figures show

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published its first figures analysis Covid-19 related deaths by ethnic group in England and Wales between March 2 and April 10.

The results showed that the risk of death involving the coronavirus among Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) groups is “significantly higher” than that of those of white ethnicity.

Researchers found that when taking age into account, in comparison to white men and women, black men are 4.2 times more likely to die from a Covid-19-related death and black women are 4.3 times more likely.

People with Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian and mixed ethnicities have a raised risk of death, too.

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Source: The Telegraph, 7 May 2020

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Black patients worst affected by 2016 junior doctors’ strike

Black patients at trusts most affected by 2016’s junior doctors’ strike suffered significantly more than their white or Asian counterparts, a new analysis has suggested.

Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies analysed 30-day readmission rates after the 48-hour junior doctors’ strike in April 2016.

The co-authors of the research, George Stoye and Max Warner, said: “We find that patients treated in hospitals that were more exposed to the strike did not, on average, experience worse outcomes.”

However, they added that black patients were “more negatively affected by exposure to the strikes than white patients in the same hospitals”. The April 2016 strike affected both elective and emergency care and was the last before the dispute ended. 

The current junior doctors’ strike has been ongoing since March. It also affects emergency and elective care but stoppages have been longer, with a five-day strike planned in July.

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Source: HSJ, 27 June 2023

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Black over-80s 'half as likely' to have been vaccinated

Black people over the age of 80 were half as likely as their white peers to have been vaccinated against Covid by 13 January, a large study suggests. This is despite the fact black people are four times more likely to die with COVID-19 than their white counterparts.

People living in deprived areas or who have severe mental-health conditions or learning disabilities were also less likely to have received a vaccination. The study was based on more than 20 million patient records in England.

The OpenSafely study, by the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, found of the million of those over 80 but not living in a care home:

  • 43% of the white people had been given their first dose of the vaccine
  • 30% of the Bangladeshi and Pakistani people had
  • 21% of the black people had.

Bangladeshi and Pakistani people are twice as likely to die with COVID-19 as white peple.

Birmingham-based business owner Tru Powell told BBC Radio 5 Live of a "lack of trust between the government and people of colour".

"People of colour have been subject to institutionalised racism within the healthcare system," she said.

"We are five times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act and four times more likely to die in childbirth."

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Source: BBC News, 28 January 2021

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Black nurse targeted with complaint after calling out alleged racism at scandal-hit watchdog

A Black nurse who tried to call out alleged racism at a scandal-hit regulator was targeted by a complaint, The Independent revealed.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which regulates more than 800,000 nurses and midwives in the UK, was heavily criticised in a review that found it had a “toxic” and “dysfunctional” culture and had failed to address racism in its ranks.

The review warned that the safety of the public as well as nursing and midwifery staff is at risk because of flawed and delayed investigations by the NMC.

It warned of widespread allegations of racism at the NMC, which senior leaders had failed to address. It also found that the body was mishandling racism complaints against nurses and midwives. Staff told reviewers that prejudice such as racism and misogyny was leading to flawed responses to complaints against nurses.

Now a Black nurse, Neomi Bennett, has revealed that she faced a complaint submitted by a senior NMC representative after she publicly called out alleged racism on the part of the regulator.

She told The Independent that being referred to her regulator for her comments while calling out racism felt like a “betrayal” and an “abuse of power”.

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Source: The Independent, 15 July 2024

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Black mothers in the UK are four times more likely to die in childbirth than their White counterparts

When pharmacist Ifeoma Onwuka, known to her friends as Laura, went into hospital to have her daughter, she and her husband hoped the delivery would go smoothly, and that they would soon be able to take their new arrival home  to meet her siblings. 

Onwuka's labor was induced at James Paget University Hospital in Great Yarmouth in late April 2018. Things progressed quickly and there were soon signs that her baby was in distress, causing staff to begin preparations for an emergency Caesarian section, but Onwuka's daughter was born in the recovery room.

Shortly after the birth, Onwuka's condition began to deteriorate. According to the family's lawyer, Tim Deeming, she began to bleed heavily, and was taken into surgery where attempts were made to stem the loss of blood. Hours later, and only after a second consultant had been called in, she was given an emergency hysterectomy. The mother-of-three died three days later.

The coroner, Yvonne Blake, said an expert had told Onwuka's inquest that the delay to surgery contributed to her death, since acting early could have controlled the bleeding. 

Black mothers have worse outcomes during pregnancy or childbirth than any other ethnic group in England. According to the latest confidential inquiry into maternal deaths (MBRRACE-UK). Black people in England are four times more likely to die in pregnancy or within the first six weeks of childbirth than their White counterparts. 

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Source: CNN. 14 January 2021

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Black men in England more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer, analysis shows

Black men in England are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer than their white counterparts, while being less likely to receive life-saving treatment, analysis by the National Prostate Cancer Audit has found.

The analysis found that black men were diagnosed with stage three or four prostate cancer at a rate of 440 per 100,000 black men in England, which is 1.5 times higher compared with their white counterparts, who had a diagnosis rate of 295 per 100,000.

Furthermore, the research also found that black men in their 60s who had a later diagnosis were 14% less likely to receive life-saving treatments that have been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for use on the NHS.

The research was conducted by analysing new prostate cancer diagnoses by ethnicity in England from January 2021 to December 2023, using data from the Rapid Cancer Registration dataset and the National Cancer Registration dataset.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among British men, with about 52,300 new cases and 12,000 deaths recorded in the UK each year. Black men are twice as likely to be diagnosed and 2.5 times more likely to die from the disease compared with white men.

Prostate Cancer UK is calling for the government’s guidelines to be updated as, under current guidance, it is an individual’s responsibility to find out his risk and decide if he would like to request a blood test.

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Source: The Guardian, 9 January 2025

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Black maternal health in crisis across hemisphere, not just in USA

Black women in the Americas bear a heavier burden of maternal mortality than their peers, but according to a report released Wednesday by the United Nations, the gap between who lives and who dies is especially wide in the world’s richest nation — the United States.

Of the region’s 35 countries, only four publish comparable maternal mortality data by race, according to the report, which analyzed the maternal health of women and girls of African descent in the Americas: Brazil, Colombia, Suriname and the United States. And while the United States had the lowest overall maternal mortality rate among those four nations, the report said Black women and girls were three times more likely than their U.S. peers to die while giving birth or in the six weeks afterward.

“The risk factor is racism,” said Joia Crear-Perry, an OB/GYN and founder of the National Birth Equity Collaborative, a nonprofit group dedicated to eliminating racial inequities in birth outcomes and one of the report’s co-sponsors. “This report drives this home over and over. When your pain is ignored, when your blood pressure is ignored, you die, and that happens across the Americas.”

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Source: The Washington Post, 12 July 2023

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Black Country doctors back vote of no confidence in management

Doctors at a Black Country mental health trust have backed a vote of no confidence in their management team.

Sources say that the Black Country Healthcare NHS Trust is not acting in the best interests of patients and they believe it wants to cut beds.

They also have no confidence in the way that the trust has removed its chief medical officer, Mark Weaver.

The NHS Trust said it was aware of concerns and had agreed to work on them going forward.

The doctors wrote to the trust board following a meeting of the Medical Advisory Committee claiming that over the past two years the relationship with the board had become fractured.

In the letter they claimed the voice of doctors was not being taken seriously by the board and that clinical priorities were secondary to financial performance.

They also said they were seriously disturbed with the way in which Mr Weaver had been asked to step down and that the deputy chief medical officer Dr Sharada Abilash had not been asked to take over while due process occurred.

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Source: BBC News, 9 December 2023

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Black communities asked to join health research

eople from black ethnic backgrounds are being encouraged to take part in a research programme aimed at tackling health inequalities.

The Improving Black Health Outcomes (IBHO) BioResource programme at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) will explore how African-Caribbean communities develop and experience different health conditions.

Those taking part would be tested and matched with various research programmes into conditions including sickle cell, diabetes, heart and kidney disease.

David Stockley, NIHR BioResource Southampton Manager at UHS, said the volunteers would be playing a "vital role" in developing future healthcare provision.

UHS said the study was set up as historically, people from African and Caribbean heritage have been under-represented in health studies, meaning knowledge and treatments as a result of research have been predominantly based on white populations.

Mr Stockley said the new initiative aimed to "close the gap".

"The IBHO BioResource will help us better understand and address health conditions and their unique impacts on black people and their loved ones, ensuring everyone benefits from fair and inclusive research," he added.

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Source: BBC News, 20 March 2025

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Black children suffer ‘more complications’ after appendicitis surgery

Black children in the UK are four times more likely to experience complications after appendicitis surgery than their white counterparts, a study has found.

The study, funded by the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, looked at 2,799 children from 80 hospitals across the UK aged under 16 who had surgery for suspected appendicitis between November 2019 and January 2022.

Of these, 185 children (7%) developed postoperative complications within 30 days of the surgery. Three-quarters of these complications were related to the wound, while a quarter were respiratory, urinary or catheter-related or of unknown origin.

The study found that black children had a four times greater risk of experiencing complications after the operation, and that this risk was independent of the child’s socioeconomic status and health history.

Appendicitis is one of the most common paediatric surgical emergency with 10,000 performed every year. The authors said that this was the first study to look at the demographic differences of postoperative complication rates in regards to appendicitis.

The researchers said they could not draw firm conclusions regarding why black children had worse outcomes after this type of emergency surgery, and that this apparent health inequality “requires urgent further investigation and development of interventions aimed at resolution”.

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Source: The Guardian, 22 February 2024

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Black children at greater risk of complications following appendicectomy

Black children in the UK are at four times greater risk of complications following emergency appendicitis surgery compared with white children.

Researchers revealed these alarming disparities in postoperative outcomes recently.

The study, led by Dr Amaki Sogbodjor, a consultant anaesthetist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London, showed that black children faced these greater risks irrespective of their socioeconomic status and health history.

Appendicitis is one of the most prevalent paediatric surgical emergencies; approximately 10,000 cases are treated annually in the UK.

However, this marks the first attempt to scrutinise demographic variances in postoperative complication rates related to appendicitis.

Dr Sogbodjor emphasised the critical need for further investigation into the root causes of these disparities.

"This apparent health inequality requires urgent further investigation and development of interventions aimed at resolution," she said.

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Source: Surgery, 25 March 2024

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